King Dhathusena - House of Moriya | Anuradhapura - (459 - 477) - Sri Lankan History - Kings - Governors - Prisidents

King Dhathusena

House of Moriya | Anuradhapura - (459 - 477)

Dhatusena was a king of Sri Lanka who ruled from 455 to 473 A.D. He was the first king of the Moriyan dynasty of Sri Lanka. In some records, he is also identified as Dasenkeli. Dhatusena reunited the country under his rule after twenty six years, defeating the South Indian invaders that were ruling the country at that time. Dhatusena made eighteen irrigation tanks, a large irrigation canal known as Yodha Ela, and the Avukana statue, a large statue of Lord Buddha.

Dhatusena's ancestry is uncertain. The Cūḷavaṃsa, the ancient chronicle of Sri Lanka, tells us that he was of royal linage whose ancestors had fled the royal capital about three hundred years earlier.[4] The country was invaded in 433 A.D. by six Tamil leaders from South India, known as the six Dravidians. They overthrew the Sri Lankan monarch and ruled the country for twenty six years, from 433 to 459 A.D. During this time, Sinhalese leaders abandoned Rajarata and fled to the Ruhuna principality in the south of the country. Ruhuna was used as the base for resistance against the invading rulers.

Dhatusena was raised by his uncle, a Buddhist monk named Mahanama. The Pandyan invaders were searching for Dhatusena, and his uncle ordained him as a Buddhist monk to disguise him. Dhatusena later organised a resistance movement against the Tamil invaders and led a rebellion against them. Dhatusena claimed the kingship of the country in 455. By the time Dhatusena started the rebellion, three of the six Pandayn invaders were already dead, and in the battles that occurred during the rebellion, two more were killed. The final battle took place in 459, where the last king, Pithiya, was killed.[5] Having successfully defeated the Pandyan invaders, Dhatusena was crowned as the king of Sri Lanka in 459 A.D, taking Anuradhapura as his capital.

Dhatusena built eighteen irrigation tanks in order to develop agriculture in the country.[1] Among these tanks are the Kalavewa and Balaluwewa, which are interconnected and cover an area of 6,380 acres (2,580 ha).

He also constructed the Yodha Ela, also known as Jayaganga, an irrigation canal carrying water from Kalawewa to Tissawewa tank in Aunuradhapura.

The Avukana statue, a 13-metre (43 ft) high statue of Lord Buddha, is also a creation of Dhatusena.

Dhatusena had two sons, Kasyapa I and Moggallana I. Moggallana was the son of the royal consort and the rightful heir to the throne, while Kasyapa was born to a non-royal concubine. Dhatusena’s daughter was married to his sister’s son and the general of his army, Migara. Following an argument between his daughter and sister, Dhatusena ordered his sister to be killed. In reprisal, Migara encouraged and assisted Kasyapa to overthrow the king and take the throne. Kasyapa eventually rebelled against Dhatusena and overthrew him. Dhatusena was imprisoned and Kasyapa became the king of the country in 473 A.D.

Migara led Kasyapa to believe that Dhatusena had hidden treasures of great wealth and persuaded him to find these. When asked to lead Kasyapa to where these treasures were hidden, Dhatusena led him to the Kalavewa and taking water into his hands, claimed that this was the only treasure he had. Enraged at this, Kasyapa had him murdered by entombing him in a wall. (an alternate story is that he was buried alive in the bund of the Kalaweva).

PHOTO GALLERY

Thuparamaya Temple
Anuradhapura,

Thuparamaya is an ancient Buddhist temple in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. Located in the sacred area of Mahamewna park, the Thuparamaya Stupa is the earliest Dagoba to be constructed in the island, dating back to the reign of King Devanampiya Tissa (247-207 BC). The temple has been formally recognised by the Government as an archaeological site in Sri...

Built : King Devanampiya Tissa,
Some Construction : King Lanja Tissa,
Some Construction : King Vasabha,
Some Construction : King Gotabhaya,
Some Construction : King Dhathusena,
Some Construction : King Aggabodhi II,
Some Construction : King Datopathissa,
Some Construction : King Datopathissa II,
Some Construction : King Kassapa II,
Some Construction : King Manavamma,
Some Construction : King Aggabodhi VI,
Some Construction : King Mahinda II,
Some Construction : King Dappula II,
Some Construction : King Sena I,

Magul Maha Viharaya
Anuradhapura,

රෝහණ නැතහොත් රුහුණු මහා විහාරය නමින් හඳුන්වා ඇති පුරාණ විහාරයක් අම්පාර දිස්ත්‍රික්කයේ පානම ලාහුගල පිහිටා තිබේ. මොනරාගල පොතුවිල් A 4 මාර්ගයේ සියඹලාන්ඩුව හන්දියේ සිට කි.මි. 22ක් පමණ දුරකදී...

Built : King Dhathusena,
Built : King Dappula I,
Built : King Kavan Tissa,
Reconstruction : Queen Viharamaha Devi,

Yodha Ela
Anuradhapura,

Yoda Ela (Giant Canal) or Jaya Ganga, an 87 km (54 mi) long single banking water canal carrying excess water from Kala Wewa reservoir to Thissa Wewa reservoir in Anuradhapura. The Yodha Ela is known for achieving a rather low gradient for its time. The gradient is about 10 centimetres per kilometre or 6 inches per...

Built : King Dhathusena,

Avukana Buddha Statue
Anuradhapura,

The Avukana statue is a standing statue of the Buddha near Kekirawa in North Central Sri Lanka. The statue, which has a height of more than 40 feet (12 m), was carved out of a large granite rock face during the 5th century. It depicts a variation of the Abhaya mudra, and the closely worn robe is elaborately carved. Constructed during the reign of Dhatusena, it may have been made as a result of a competition between a master and a pupil. The Avukana statue is one of the best examples of a...

Built : King Dhathusena,

Kala Wewa
Anuradhapura,

Kala Wewa, built by the King Datusena in 307 B.C, is a twin reservoir complex (Kala Wewa & Balalu Wewa) which has a capacity of 123 million cubic meters. This reservoir complex has facilitated with a stone made spillway and three main sluices. From the central major sluice, a 40 feet wide central conveys water to feed thousands of acres of paddy lands and ends at the historical capital Anuradhapura city tank Tissa Wewa meandering over 87 km (54 mi) at a slope of 6 inches per mile and...

Built : King Dhathusena,